Racing For Belgium 2007 season review

RFB WTCC - A review of 2007 and a preview of 2008
Racing For Belgium not only began a new era this season, but also
closed one. The Bornem based team competed in its first ever WTCC, but in
October on the track at Barcelona competed in its last...

RFB WTCC - A review of 2007 and a preview of 2008

Racing For Belgium not only began a new era this season, but also
closed one. The Bornem based team competed in its first ever WTCC, but in
October on the track at Barcelona competed in its last meeting of the World
Series by Renault Megane Trophy, a championship which the young Belgian Jan
Heylen clinched in 2005.

However Racing For Belgium's Cup experience will not be lost seeing the
team will be competing in the SEAT Leon EuroCup as from 2008, a single-make
championship which will be held during the WTCC-weekends and in addition we
will also be seeing Wim Coekelbergs' troops in action in the brand new
Belgian Clio Cup. Apart from the touring car battles this season Racing For
Belgium was also fully involved in both the Belcar GT3 and FIA GT3 with a
brand-new Prodrive Aston Martin DBRS GT3.

Undoubtedly RFB's most eye catching campaign was their participation in the
WTCC with an Alfa Romeo 156 driven by the young Portuguese Miguel Freitas.
Notwithstanding the fact that there were some serious growing pains, Wim
Coekelbergs is satisfied when looking back on the season: "2007 was a
learning year for us, with a few good weekends interspersed with some less
positive ones. Our car is a 2004 model and was therefore ideally suited to
our schooling needs, but it goes without saying that in such a field as the
WTCC such a handicap is not to be underestimated. Something I will always
remember is the excellent work carried out by our team and some of the
miracles they performed during the season."

Nonetheless Miguel Freitas drove a good race in Macau, finishing in a well
deserved eight place in the Independents Trophy, and in the teams Racing
For Belgium finished in sixth spot in the final ranking.

After the last race in the Megane Trophy there was just time to take stock.

Wim Coekelbergs: "Over these last three years the level of the Trophy has
developed enormously. Leading figures have always competed, however the
field has become very close knit and most teams are leaning towards the
top. I personally had not driven the Megane for more than a year when I
got behind the wheel in Barcelona, and I noticed it immediately. You need
to clock up the necessary kilometres with such a car and I lacked those.
Obviously the highlight was our European title with Jan Heylen back in
2005, a title that for Jan was a sort of re-launching of his career and
where we simultaneously clinched the team title, the ultimate crowning for
RFB."

For RFB this is not the end of the road in the one-make cup. Next season
the Belgian team is heading towards the SEAT Leon EuroCup. Following on
from several successful seasons in various national championships, the SEAT
Leon Supercopa will be enjoying its European debut next year under a new
name: the SEAT Leon EuroCup. The championship will be comprised out of six
meetings with two sprint races which will be held during the six FIA WTCC-
weekends on circuits in Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, England and
Italy. In addition the winner at each meeting will be given an opportunity
in the following WTCC-race.

"We are in fact hoping to be selected by Seat because apart from the fact
that it will be a fantastic championship, for us it is a logical choice for
two additional reasons", Coekelbergs explains. "In the first instance we
know the series well, because we had been champions in 2005 and 2006 in
Spain with Oscar Nogues, something not many Belgians know... So add Jan's
title in 2005 and our previous experience in the Clio Cup and you then
realise we are closely connected with one-make cups. Secondly we are
remaining active in the WTCC and regarding logistics it is quite obviously
the ideal choice.

"When it comes to the drivers this has not been decided as yet, but we
would like to enter several cars in the EuroCup."

In addition RFB will be competing with at least three cars in the Renault
Clio Cup. At the end of this year Renault Belgium is stopping the FR1600,
but will remain present on the Belgian circuits with the brand-new Clio.
Wim Coekelbergs: "For us this is a sort of rebirth. Up until 2004 we were
battling it out up front in the Belgian Cup which then unfortunately
disappeared, after which we still competed for a further year in The
Netherlands. This season our in-house driver Philip Jacobs has already had
the opportunity to become acquainted with the new cars in France and he was
over the moon. So we're looking forward to the premier..."

Last but not least there was the campaign with the RFB Aston Martin DBRS9
straight out of the Prodrive workshops. Ron Marchal and Wim Coekelbergs
clinched a few podia places on the European scene, not forgetting two in
the Mediagroep van Dyck Belcar GT3.